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May 25, 2024 · What they uncovered was astonishing: the skeletal remains of 168 individuals, ranging in age from infants to the elderly, all incredibly well-preserved by the unique chemistry of the bog. Peat bogs are known for their ability to preserve organic matter for thousands of years.
- A Family Affair
- Overcoming Obstacles
- A Rare Discovery
- The Inhabitants of Windover
- The Human Condition
The bog held a Stone Age dynasty. Generation upon generation of a single interrelated clan were returning their dead to the earth as a family tradition. The dramatic dental wear of the skulls gave a clue to the age of these people. These days we only use our teeth for chewing food but in ancient cultures, teeth were all-purpose tools, faced with mu...
Before the excavation could begin a colossal obstacle stood in the archaeologists’ way – millions of gallons of water. It took two years to come up with a solution to emptying the marsh. It was an epic engineering operation sinking 150 well points into the peat and pumping out 700 gallons of water a minute round the clock. The five skulls found by ...
Throughout the excavation, the team was continually stunned as they unearth not just bone but things far more fragile and rare. The unearthing of unusually heavy skulls stopped the archaeologists in their tracks. Common sense told them that the mass inside the skulls had to be peat but later testing revealed the preserved human brains. After seven ...
The early inhabitants of America descended from people who had crossed over from Asia at the end of the Ice Age. The DNA of these Native Americans is easily distinguished from all other ethnic groups. DNA shows that they hadn’t interbred outside of their own tribe, suggesting in this age, it was perhaps rare to come into contact with other tribes. ...
Next to the skeletons, the archaeologists found jewellery, ornaments and weapons. Highly valued offerings were placed with the bodies during the burial ceremony suggesting Windover was a sacred place, perhaps believed to be a gateway to the next life. An elaborate death ceremony involving all the care and respect of a modern-day funeral was emergin...
Jan 13, 2021 · The story they tell begins 9,000 years ago when ancient humans began using Windover as a cemetery. As the indigenous people moved through the area seasonally, they would bury their dead in the pond during late summer and early fall.
May 20, 2024 · The operator of a digger noticed skulls collecting in the machinery, triggering an excavation and investigation, uncovering over 177 human remains that date back 7,000 to 8,000 years ago. The peat...
- Rachael Funnell
Feb 7, 2021 · Judging from the films on Youtube about the Windover Pond site, Florida archaeologists don’t seem to know that burials identical to those in Florida can be found in southern Sweden, southern Finland and Karelia, but given the results of the most recent DNA studies of Windover mummified bodies, this is highly significant.
The Windover Bog Bodies offer us a rare glimpse into a time long gone, allowing us to learn not just about how these people lived, but who they were. Their story is one of resilience, adaptation, and mystery, reminding us that there is still so much to learn about our ancient past.
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The Windover Archeological Site is a Middle Archaic (8,000 to 1,000 BC) archaeological site and National Historic Landmark in Brevard County near Titusville, Florida, United States on the central east coast of the state. Windover is a muck pond where skeletal remains of 168 individuals were found buried in the peat at the bottom of the pond.
